Cultural Heritage Desk

The Ninth National Handicraft Exhibitionwas inaugurated in Zahedan’s International Fairground, Sistan-Baluchestan Province on Monday with the participation of representatives from 25 provinces.

Director General of Sistan-Baluchestan Province’s Cultural Heritage, Handicraft and Tourism Department Alireza Jalalzaei told IRNA on the sidelines of the inaugural ceremony that handicraft works are being showcased in 150 pavilions at the expo, of which 80 pertain to other provinces.

He said setting up nomadic tents is among the programs that will be organized on the sidelines of the exhibition, which will continue until November 23.

Jalalzaei noted that about 10,000 individuals involved in the handicraft-related sector, have been identified in the provinces.

He added, for the first time, a pilot scheme on identifying and insuring craftspeople has been implemented in Sistan-Baluchestan Province, as per the directive issued by Head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicraft and Tourism Organization Ali Asghar Monesan.

The official said it will help the province’s handicraft artists not only sell products to their customers at appropriate prices but also participate in domestic and foreign expositions.

Handicrafts, as the symbols of the lifestyle and culture of a society, are transferred from a generation to another.

Since handicraft is tribal and local art, the raw materials used for producing the works are acquired from the substances that exist in the nature of the regions they belong to.